CM Inaugurates 13 Model Sanskrit Villages Across Uttarakhand’s 13 Districts

On Sunday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated 13 Model Sanskrit Villages—one in each of Uttarakhand’s 13 districts—at an event held at the Government Inter College, Bhogpur, Dehradun.

The Chief Minister announced that in the future, the state government will construct Sanskrit Bhawans (buildings) in these villages and establish government primary Sanskrit schools. The villages declared as Model Sanskrit Villages are: Bhogpur (Dehradun), Mukhem (Tehri Garhwal), Kotgaon (Uttarkashi), Bainji (Rudraprayag), Dimmar (Chamoli), Goda (Pauri Garhwal), Urg (Pithoragarh), Jayanti Pandekota (Almora), Sheri (Bageshwar), Kharkkarki (Champawat), Noorpur Panjanhedi (Haridwar), Pande Gaon (Nainital), and Nagla Tarai (Udham Singh Nagar).

During the event, the Chief Minister interacted virtually with residents of the Sanskrit Villages. Expressing sorrow over the recent disasters in Uttarkashi and Pauri, he assured that rehabilitation work in affected areas would be carried out with full sensitivity and speed.

He highlighted that Uttarakhand is the first state in India to take such an initiative for the preservation and promotion of Sanskrit. The language, he said, is the foundation of Indian culture, tradition, knowledge, and science, and is the medium in which the Vedas, scriptures, Puranas, and Upanishads were composed. He added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, special efforts have been made to establish Sanskrit as a modern and practical language under the New Education Policy, including linking Sanskrit universities with modern resources, creating e-learning platforms and apps, and even starting Sanskrit translations of Lok Sabha proceedings.

The Chief Minister said that in Model Sanskrit Villages, people will incorporate Sanskrit into their daily lives so that the divine language once again becomes part of everyday speech, conduct, and communication. The state government is also providing special scholarships to promote Sanskrit education in schools and honoring meritorious students through the Sanskrit Student Talent Award Scheme.

Programs such as All India Research Conferences, Jyotish Conferences, and Vedic Conferences are being organized through the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Academy, Haridwar, to promote the language. The CM also noted other major state initiatives, including being the first in the country to implement the Uniform Civil Code, providing over 23,000 government jobs after implementing the Anti-Cheating Law, preserving Uttarakhand’s cultural values and demographics, and taking strict action against fraudsters maligning Sanatan Dharma through “Operation Kalanemi.”

Cabinet Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat stated that Sanskrit is India’s historical heritage and reiterated that Uttarakhand is the first state to declare it as its second official language. He announced that from next year, NCC and NSS will be introduced in Sanskrit schools, teacher shortages will be addressed, and ₹75 crore has already been allocated for Sanskrit University infrastructure development.

The event was attended by MLA Brijbhushan Gairola, Rishikesh Mayor Shambhu Paswan, Secretary Deepak Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Sanskrit University Prof. Dinesh Chandra Shastri, Madhukeshwar Bhatt, and others.